Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.
At TPG, our top priority is providing our readers with the information you need to make educated decisions about travel and your rewards-earnings strategy. This is not the best time to travel, domestically or internationally, but we are sharing this card launch because it is a great offer that could provide value to cardholders for future travel once coronavirus concerns have subsided.
When I tell my friends that I’ve opened 23 credit cards — one for every year I’ve been alive — I get a few weird looks and also several questions like, “How do you pick which card to start with?” and, “Isn’t that hurting your credit score?”
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They listen intently, however, when I tell them how much value I’m getting from each new card — generally no less than $500 and often much more than $1,000. While not everyone needs anywhere near 23 cards, even getting one or two can make a big difference in the out-of-pocket cost of your next vacation. With that in mind, today we’ll look at bonus offers for top travel credit cards that are worth $1,000 or more. Your valuations may vary based on how valuable various perks are to you.
Related reading: Yes, I have 19 credit cards; here’s why
In This Post
Top travel credit cards with $1,000+ bonus offers
| Credit Card | Bonus Offer | Bonus Value* | Perks | Annual Fee | Total Value |
| Ink Business Preferred Credit Card | 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first 3 months. | $2,000 | N/A | $95 | $1,905 |
| The Business Platinum Card® from American Express |
75,000 points after you spend $15,000 on qualifying purchases within the first 3 months of account opening. Terms apply. | $1,500 | Up to $200 airline-fee credit; up to $200 in annual statement credits for Dell technology U.S. purchases ($100 semiannually); Centurion Lounge access ($250 value); Priority Pass lounge access ($100 value). Terms apply. | $595 (see rates & fees) | $1,405 |
| The Platinum Card® from American Express | 60,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first three months. Terms apply. | $1,200 | Up to $200 airline fee credit; up to $200 in annual Uber credits; up to $100 Saks Fifth Avenue credit ($50 semiannually); Centurion Lounge access ($250 value); Priority Pass lounge access ($100 value). Terms apply. | $550 (see rates & fees) | $1,500 |
| Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card | 60,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months | $1,200 | N/A | $95 | $1,105 |
| Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card | 75,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of account opening. Terms apply. | $600 | Up to $300 in statement credits each year toward Marriott charges; Priority Pass lounge access ($100 value); Marriott Gold status, (TPG values at $855). Terms apply. | $450 (see rates & fees) | $1,405 |
| Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express | 150,000 points after spending $4,000 in the first three months. Terms apply. | $900 | Up to $250 in statement credits for Hilton purchases each cardmember year; $250 in airline incidental fee credits per calendar year; Hilton Diamond status, which TPG values at $3,025. Terms apply. | $450 (see rates & fees) | $3,975 |
| IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card | 140,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months. | $700 | Anniversary Reward night (worth $200); IHG Platinum status (worth $880 according to TPG); Global Entry /TSA PreCheck fee credit (worth up to $100) | $89 | $1,791 |
*Bonus value is an estimated value calculated by TPG and not the card issuer. The information for the Ink Business Preferred card has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
Ink Business Preferred Credit Card
Annual fee: $95
Sign-up bonus: 100,000 bonus points after you spend $15,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Valuable perks: Cellphone protection for you and employees listed on your phone bill; trip delay and cancellation insurance.
How it all adds up: Chase’s Ink Business Preferred isn’t loaded down with perks and it faces increasing competition from newer members of the Ink family. But it might offer the simplest and most immediate value of any of these cards. It has the highest sign-up bonus of any Ultimate Rewards-earning card, even more than the ultra-premium Chase Sapphire Reserve®. Those 100,000 points are worth $2,000 based on TPG’s latest valuations, but you can potentially get even more value than that.
You could transfer 60,000 points to United Airlines to book a round-trip ticket from the U.S. to Europe and still have points left over. For other creative strategies on redeeming Ultimate Rewards points, check out our guide, “Redeeming Chase Ultimate Rewards for maximum value.”
Read TPG’s Ink Business Preferred card review.
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Annual fee: $595 (see rates and fees)
Welcome bonus: Earn 75,000 points after you spend $15,000 on qualifying purchases within the first three months of account opening.
Valuable perks: This card is loaded with annual credits, including an up to a $400 statement credit from Dell for U.S. purchases and an up to $200 annual airline-fee credit from a carrier of your choice. Cardholders get access to Amex Centurion Lounges, Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta) and Airspace and Escape lunges. Gold elite status with Hilton and Marriott Bonvoy is also a nice bonus, as it can help you earn bonus points, room upgrades and welcome gifts even if you don’t travel enough to otherwise quality.
How it all adds up: With a $595 annual fee (see rates and fees), the Business Platinum card is one of the most expensive cards on the market. However, the current bonus of 75,000 points should be enough to get you past the sticker shock that comes with its fee. It’s true that $15,000 is a lot to spend in three months, but the $1,500 worth of points you earn can unlock some truly great redemptions.
You’ll likely get your best value transferring your points to one of Amex’s airline partners and you will get a 35% rebate if you pay with points for first- or business-class flights on all partner airlines or economy flights on a selected airline (up to 500,000 points per calendar year). The Business Platinum earns 5x points per dollar on airfare and prepaid hotels booked through Amex travel and 1x everywhere else. Purchases of $5,000 or more will earn a 50% bonus, up to a million bonus points per year.
If that’s not enough, the Business Platinum’s incredibly comprehensive lounge access (including a Priority Pass Select membership, access to Amex Centurion Lounges and access to Delta SkyClubs when flying Delta) and Gold elite status with both Marriott and Hilton are sure to take your trip to the next level.
Read TPG’s Amex Business Platinum card review.
The Platinum Card From American Express
Annual fee: $550 (see rates and fees)
Welcome bonus: 60,000 Membership Rewards points after spending $5,000 on purchases in the first three months. Note that some people have been targeted for a 100,000-point welcome offer with the same minimum spend. Check the CardMatch tool for other offers (targeted offer subject to change at any time).
Valuable perks: This card comes with an annual airline-fee credit of up to $200; up to $200 in annual Uber credits; up to $100 in Saks Fifth Avenue credits (up to $50 semiannually). Like the business version, this card also offers access to Amex Centurion Lounges and Delta Sky Clubs (when flying Delta), along with Airspace and Escape lounges, plus Gold elite status with Hilton and Marriott Bonvoy.
How it all adds up: One of the most common questions we get at The Points Guy is whether The Platinum Card from American Express is worth the $550 annual fee (see rates and fees). Our answer has always been a resounding “yes” and the list of reasons why has grown over the years as Amex keeps adding new benefits to attract customers to its most premium card that’s publicly available.
The standard welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points is worth more than $1,000 on its own, based on TPG’s latest valuations, but if you’re targeted for the 100,000-point offer through CardMatch, this card is a no-brainer.
Assuming you can use the annual airline and Uber credits of up to $200 each, that scary $550 annual fee is really only effectively $150 out of pocket each year and valuable benefits such as 5x points on flights purchased directly with the airline or through American Express Travel, hotel elite status, premium concierge services and the most comprehensive lounge benefits of any credit card can help you get well over $1,000 in value.
Read TPG’s Amex Platinum review.
Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
Annual fee: $95
Sign-up bonus: 60,000 Ultimate Rewards points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months.
Valuable perks: Trip delay/interruption insurance, baggage insurance, primary car rental insurance.
How it all adds up: If you’ve decided that the Chase Sapphire Reserve (with its $550 annual fee) is too much for you, the Chase Sapphire Preferred is a great alternative. You’ll still have access to Chase’s 13 incredible hotel and airline transfer partners and you’ll get a sign-up bonus worth $1,200 — which is even higher than the Sapphire Reserve’s sign-up bonus. This card has long been one of TPG’s top travel credit cards — and won in the Best Travel Rewards Credit Card category at the 2019 TPG Awards.
Read TPG’s Chase Sapphire Preferred review.
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant™ American Express® Card
Annual fee: $450 (see rates and fees)
Welcome bonus: 75,000 points after spending $3,000 in the first three months of account opening.
Valuable perks: Up to $300 in statement credits each cardmember year toward Marriott purchases; anniversary award night (valid at hotels costing up to 50,000 points per night) every card anniversary; complimentary Marriott Gold Elite status.
How it all adds up: Even if you only stay at Marriott properties a few times a year, the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex can be worth it, thanks to perks including statement credits of up to $300 each cardmember year for Marriott purchases, including room rates. This benefit alone effectively cuts the annual fee to $150 and that’s not factoring in the complimentary Marriott Gold status you get as a cardholder or the 50k annual award night certificate. This unlocks perks like a 25% points bonus on paid stays and space-available room upgrades.
You can use your points at more than 7,000 Marriott properties around the world. Read TPG’s Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Amex card review.
Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card
Annual fee: $450 (see rates and fees)
Welcome bonus: 150,000 Hilton points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first three months of account opening.
Valuable perks: The card offers an annual airline credit of up to $250, annual Hilton resort credit of up to $250 at participating hotels, plus up to $100 credit on eligible stays of two nights or more at Waldorf Astoria and Conrad hotels.
How it all adds up: Unlike the entry-level Hilton Honors American Express Card, the Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express comes packed with credits and benefits. In addition to a 150,000-point welcome bonus that TPG values at $1,200, the card comes with a number of Hilton property credits that can negate the annual fee and make this card cash-flow-positive. You’ll also get one free weekend night after account approval and one on each account anniversary. Those nights can easily net you $500+ each when redeemed somewhere such as the Conrad Bora Bora.
The Aspire also comes with automatic top-tier Hilton Diamond status. TPG’s Nick Ewen valued Diamond status at $3,025 in 2020, which in theory could put the Aspire at the top of this list in terms of value. But although Diamond status offers some incredible perks such as suite upgrades and free breakfast, if you’re not staying enough to earn it organically, it won’t be worth the full $3,025 to you. So adjust the valuation accordingly to fit your situation.
Read TPG’s Hilton Amex Aspire review.
IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card
Annual fee: $89
Welcome bonus: Earn 140,000 points after you spend $3,000 on purchases within the first three months.
Valuable perks: Every year you renew the card you’ll get an anniversary reward night valid at hotels costing up to 40,000 points per night. You’ll also enjoy automatic IHG Platinum elite status, fourth-reward-night benefit on award stays of four or more nights. If you manage to spend $20,000 in an account year, you’ll get 10,000 bonus points (worth $50). Plus, you get a 20% discount on IHG points purchases when you pay with your card, along with a Global Entry/TSA PreCheck application fee credit (worth up to $100) every four years.
How it all adds up: The IHG Premier Card makes TPG’s list of best hotel credit cards, not only for the bonus offer but also because the ongoing perks easily outweigh its reasonable annual fee. With just the anniversary reward night you could easily book a night at a hotel that costs $200 or more. Plus, the card helps your IHG points go further with the fourth-reward-night perk, which means you can stay four nights by paying just the points cost of three nights.
This card earns 10x IHG points at IHG hotels and resorts, 2x points at gas stations, grocery stores and restaurants and one point per dollar spent everywhere else.
Read TPG’s IHG® Rewards Club Premier Credit Card review.
Bottom line
This is an incredible time to add a new card to your wallet, with multiple cards offering 100,000-point bonuses and many that can easily net you at least $1,000 in value. Just keep in mind that the cards with the most perks often have the highest annual fees, so make sure that you’re getting enough value to justify spending big money on a single card.
Additional reporting by Jason Stauffer.
For rates and fees of the Amex Platinum Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Amex Business Platinum Card, click here.
For rates and fees of the Hilton Aspire Card, please click here.
For rates and fees of the Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, please click here.
Featured image by Isabelle Raphael / The Points Guy.
